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Council clears small but varied land-use items: West University zoning restored for long-standing commercial use; Fry Street boarding house SUP approved
Summary
Council approved several development items 7-0: a rezoning on West University (1.09 acres R2 to MN) to allow reestablishment of a historic commercial use that ceased in 2023, and a specific-use permit for a boarding house on Fry Street (conditions limit bedrooms and require parking). Both passed without opposition at council.
Denton council approved two planning items unanimously on Aug. 19: a request to rezone about 1.09 acres on West University Drive from R-2 single-family residential to mixed-use neighborhood (MN) to allow reestablishment of a long-standing commercial use, and a specific-use permit to allow a boarding house at the southwest corner of West Oak and Fry Street within the Fry Street overlay.
West University rezoning
Staff said the commercial use dated from the 1970s and was legally nonconforming until the owner discontinued operations in 2023; under the current R-2 zoning the prior retail/restaurant/bar use could not be reestablished, so the applicant requested MN zoning to restore the neighborhood-serving commercial use. Staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission found the request consistent with the comprehensive plan's moderate-residential designation that allows small-scale commercial uses that serve neighborhoods. The council voted 7-0 to approve the rezoning.
Fry Street boarding house SUP
The council also approved a specific-use permit (SUP) for a boarding-house use (non-transient lodging for more than four but fewer than 20 persons) at 1305 Oak, within the Fry Street overlay. Staff recommended conditions limiting the home to nine bedrooms, a minimum of 10 parking spaces and no substantial site changes; the Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval. The applicant described an intention to operate a campus ministry residency and training program with semester-long residents and a central kitchen; staff said the boarding house use is consistent with the neighborhood-university compatibility area of the comprehensive plan. Council approved the SUP 7-0.
Why this matters: The West University decision restores a small, neighborhood-serving commercial footprint in an area where the parcel had historically operated as retail/restaurant. The Fry Street approval recognizes a non-traditional lodging format aided by specific site and parking conditions. Both votes were unanimous.
Speakers quoted: "This property has a long history," staff said in describing the West University request; applicant Brandon Bell told council his boarding-house plan would house campus-ministry residents for semesters of training.
Ending note: Both items move forward as approved; any redevelopment must comply with site constraints including floodplain rules where relevant.
